Ashton Jessee
Anchorage’s Ashton Jessee has a tendency to get defensive on the volleyball court and put up a wall.
Her behavior is to block everything, which is a mechanism of a marvelous middle blocker. And Jessee is one of the best in the 43-year history of the University of Hawaii Hilo volleyball program.
The 6-foot-3 senior became just the third player in school history – and the first in 26 years – to reach the famed 400-block benchmark.
Jessee, of South High fame, did it in style, too, as she recorded 10 blocks to highlight a five-set win over Azusa Pacific.
This was the third time the Alaskan furnished double figures in blocks in a single match. In 2018, she set a career high with 13 blocks and had another match with 11 blocks.
Jessee’s career total of 408 blocks ranks No. 3 in Hawaii Hilo history, trailing only Tanya Funatu (489) from 1992 to 1995 and Flo Alo (435) from 1985 to 1988.
Jessee’s total ranks No. 2 Pac West Conference, a league Hawaii Hilo joined in 2006. Julianne Moore of Azusa Pacific is the record holder with 465 blocks.
Jessee entered the season ranked No. 11 in school history with 332 blocks before throwing a block party this year and putting herself on pace to finish with the second most in a single season.
She posted a career-best 136 blocks as a sophomore in 2018. Her second highest was 81 set last year, but Jessee looks in good shape to pass that number this weekend. She has 76 blocks with two matches left in the regular season.
Jessee also has compiled 669 career kills in her NCAA Division II career.
